Fuel-producer.



W. L. SHEPARD & H. J. WIGKHAM.

FUEL PRODUCER.

AI'ILIOATIOH FILED SEPT. a. 1909.

Patented Feb. 28, 1911.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

W. L. SHEPARD 81; H. J. WIGKHAM' ew W FUEL PRODUCER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 11, 1909.

3 BHEBTB-SHEET 2.

Patented Feb.28, 1911.

W. L. SHEPARD & H. J. WIGKHAM.

FUEL PRODUCER.

APPIQIGATION FILED SEPT. 8, 1909.

985,46%, Patented Feb. 23, 1911.

3 8HEETS-SHEBT 3.

wILBUn L. SHEPARD, or ELMWOOD, AND'HORACE :r. WICKHAM, or MANCHESTER,

oonnncrrour. I

FUEL-PRODUCER.

Specification of Letters Patent.-

Patented m1. 2e, ieii.

To all whom. it may concern:

Be it known that we, WILBUR L. SHEPARD and HORACE.- J. WIOKHAM, citizens of the United States, residing at Elmwood and Manchester, respectively, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fuel-Producers, of which the 'followi'ng'is a specification. p This invention relates to apparatus for transforming peat from the condition it is in when it'comes from the hog and carriesv considerable molsture, to a condition in which it may at once be used n a furnace as fuel. I

.The object of the invention is to provide a simple apparatus which is continuous in operation and utilizes the waste heat which ordinarily escapes through the stack for drying and hardeningthe peat.

Figure 1 of the accompanying drawings shows a front elevation, with partsbroken' away, of a furnace and hdrizontal boiler provided with one form of apparatus which embodies this invention. Fig. 2 shows a side elevation of the same peat drying apparatus and a means for carrying the peat to this apparatus. Fig. 3 shows a front elevation,

with .parts in section, of a furnace and horizontal boiler, provided with a modified form of apparatus for conveying peat through the smoke pipe for drying and to the furnace for burning. Fig.4 is a detail of a modified form of mechanism which may be employed for operating the feeding means shown in Fig. 1.' Fig. 5 shows a different form of driving mechanism, and Fig. 6 shows a still difi'erentform of mechanism for driving the peat feeding means.

The apparatus is shown in F igr 1 in connection with acommon horizontal boiler 1 having an ordinary furnace 2 with the usual fire box 3 and smoke box 4. A pipe 5,'in-

this form of apparatus, leads from the smoke box to a receiver 6. The central section 7 of the smoke tube that extends on an incline from the receiver to the hopper 8, is mounted on bearings 9 at each end so that it may be rotated. N ear the middle of the rotatable section of the tube is a gear -1() which is driven by a gear 11 on a shaft 12 that is pro vided with a pulley 13. This pulley is belted to a pulley 14 on a-driving shaft 15, which may be driven from any convenient source of power. By this mechanism, the central section of the tube may be rotated at the desired speed. The tube may be provided with a worm wheel 16, and this wheel driven by a worm 17 on a shaft 18 bearing a pulley 19 that is belted to any suitable source of power, as shown in Fi 4. If desired, the tube may be provided with a sprocket wheel 20 that may be connected by a chain 21 with a sprocket wheel 22 on a shaft 23 hearing a pulley 24: that maybe belted to any source of power, as shown in Fig. 5. -Or a ratchet Wheel 25 may be mounted on the tube, and this wheel may be intermittently rotated by a pawl 26 mounted on a crank 27 that may be rotated by a pulley 2.8 driven from any source of power, as shown in Fig. 6. In the lower part of the hopper: and desirably connected with the tube so as to rotate therewith, is a feed worm 29. The top of the hopper is connected with a stack 30, through which the smoke and gases from the furnace pass to the outer atmosphere,

The peat to be treatedby this apparatus may be deposited in a trough 31 and carried by a belt 32 turning around rolls 33 and 34 between the rolls 35 and 36 andthe rolls 34 and 37. The space between'the rolls 35 and 36 and between the rolls 37 and3-it may be adjusted by means of the screws 38 and 39 so as to compress the peat which passes between them suificiently .to express .the desired amount of moisture. The tension of the feed belt may be regulated by the screw 40. As the peat passes from between the rollers 3-1 and. 37 it is deposited upon the elevator belt 41, which is provided with common elevator buckets 4.2. This belt passes around a common drum 43 at the, bottom, and a drum 44 at the top in such manner as toelevate the peat from the presser rolls and deposit it in the hopper at the base of the stack, and into which opens the upper end of the inclined smoke tube. The shafts of the lower squeezing rolls may be geared together, and one of these gears 15' engaged with a gear 456011 a shaft 47 hearing a pill ley48 that is belted .to a pulley 49 on the driving shaft 15. The shaft of the lower elevator drum maybe provided with a gear 51 that engages at gear 52 on the shaft for operating the elevator.

By means of this apparatus the peat maybe first compressed to express all free moisture, and then elevated to the hopper from which it is fed by the spiral feed screw into of the gasesand products of combustion.

escaping from .the fire in the furnace. All

of the remaining moisture contained in the peat is carried away by the draft up the stack, and the dried peat allowed to flow from the lower end of the tube into the receiver 6, from which, when the door 53 is opened, it may be shoveled into the furnace and used as fuel. If desired, a, fan 54 may be arranged in the pipe from the smoke box. The shaft 55 of this fan may be driven by a belt 56 from the shaft 15. 7

If desired, the tube may be fixed in position, as shown in Fig. 3. In thisform of apparatus the tube-57 at its lower end conilllllllltfiltQSWllll the smoke box 58. and at its upper end with the base of the stack 59. In this tube is arranged aspiral conveyer 60.

The-shaft. (it of the conveyor may be pro-,

vided with a gear 69. which meshes with a gear 63 on ashaft 64 hearing a pulley 65.

This latterpulley may be belt-ed to aphlley 66 on a shaft-'67 provided with a pulley 68 that may be belted to a pulley 69 on the shaft of an engine 7 O driven by steam from the boiler.

A fan 71 may be located at the base of' the stack near the upper end ofthe tube,

' and this fan driven by gears 72 and a pulley 73 that is belted to apulley 74 on the shaft 64. A hopper '7 5 is arranged at the upper end of the tube for the introduction of peat to the tube. down the inclined tube and is agitated by the spiral conveyer. \Vhile itis being conducted down the tube, and being agitated the peat'is subjected to the heat of the escaping products of combustion. This peat maybe admitted to the fire box 76 through atube 77.

1 With 'the apparatus described herein, peat containing more 01 16SS moisture may be deposited in the inclined tube and while passing down through the tube and being turned over and agitated,either by the rotation of the tube or by the spiral conveyer in the tube, is subjected to the heat of the escaping products of combustion from the fire. The use of this apparatus is economical, for the reason that it is only waste heat which is utilized for transforming the peat into condition to be used as fuel. I

In this case, the peat is fed.

The invention claimed is:

l. The combination with a boiler, of a furnace having a fire box beneath the boiler, a stack for said furnace, connections between the furnace and stack including an inclined tube located outside of the furnace and communicating with the furnace and the stack, said tube conducting all of the gases of combustion from the furnace to the stack, and means in connection with the tube whereby the peat is fed through said inclined tube and discharged at apoint adjacent to the fire box, whereby the peat is dried and prepared for use in said fire box under the boiler by the waste heat escaping from the furnace after it has passed th boiler.

- ing peat from said tube adjacent-to the fire box. whereby the peat is dried and prepared for use in said fire box under the boiler by the waste heat escaping from the furnace after it has passed the boiler.

3. The combination with aboiler, of afurnace having a fire box beneath the boiler, a stack for said furnace, an inclined tube located outside of the furnace and communicating with the furnace and the stack, said tube conducting all the gases of combustion from the furnace to the stack, means for admitting peat into the upper end of said tube, means in connection with the tube whereby the peat is fed through said in- "clined tube, and means at the lower end of H. R. WILLIAMS,

K JOSEPHINE M. STRrfMPrEa. 

